Cipher-type for engraving-machines.



No. 742,180. PATENTED. 001. 27, 19.03.

A. E. FRANCIS;

GIPHER TYPE FOR ENGRAVING MACHINES.

APPLICATION 11pm) JAN. 29, 1903.

11d MODEL. 2 311331 5411332 1.

No. 742,180. PATENTED- OCT. 27, 1903. F A. E. FRANCIS. I

' GIPHER TYPE FOB. ENGRAVING MAGHINES.

' u'rmouron rmzn JAN. 29, 1903.

no Human Q 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2i few/17 z? UNITED STATES Patented October27, 1902.

PATENT OFFICE.

ALLAN E. FRANCIS, OF OLEVELANROHIQ.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 742,180, dated October27, 1903.

Application filed January 29, 1903. Serial No. 141,079. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALLAN E. FRANCIS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahogaand State of Ohio, haveinvented a new and useful Cipher- Type for Engraving-Machines, of whichthe following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in the manner of forming ciphers orcharacterscomposed by entwining single-line letters of the alphabet withengraving-machines in which type or grooved pattern-letters are used togovern the movements of a tracer attached to a system of levers thatreproduce thepatterns on a reduced scale; and the object of my inventionis to afford a practical way to so engrave composite characters fromdesigns that have to be superimposed one upon another in theirarrangement and where each.

component design when traced has to occupy the space or a part of thespace occupied by another at the time of tracing. At the present timethree ways are known by which this is imperfectly accomplished, themost'satisfactory of which is to use the single-line regularengraving-machine metallic type by first tracing a pattern-letter andthen by layinga type of the next letter to be traced over or partlyWhile the grooves in the type make this the best way to get fairresults, metallic type is ill adapted to such work, and the results areseldom satisfactory. It is easier to imagine how the lines in onemetallic type will interweave with those of another than it is to movean unguided tracer smoothly along the arbitrary course of the lines of aprinted design when the tracer is carrying the load of a cutting-graver.Another way is to use transparent plates having letters printed uponthem. Two or more ofthese are arranged one above the other. The designshowing through the transparent medium gives to the eye the only meansof guiding the tracer as it is pushed along over the smooth surface ofthe upper plate, while the graver is registering in its out everydeviation that a nervous hand makes in tracing the visible lines as seenthrough the plates. The result of this is so uncertain and the processso dangerous that of machine cipher-engraving.

' no cautious person would attempt it on anything of value. Stillanother way is that alluded to in my application for Letters Patent forimprovement in monogram type for engraving-machines, filed February 4,1902, Serial No. 92,595, in which the body of grooved type is cut awayto givea necessary view of the arrangement of the letters; but this tobe useful in single-line work attenuates the pattern-letters to a pointwhere they lose their form by bending, making it as incomplete as theothers. All of these plans are old and incomplete. None fully meet therequirements Those having one essential lack another. The ones withgrooves to direct. the tracer cannot be accurately laid or do not holdtheir form, and the one that furnishes aid to the eye cannot baccurately traced.

The value of machine-cut ciphers depends on their symmetry. Properintermingling of the lines must be reached by a knowledge of how thedesigns are laid, which can only be gained by seeing the compositefigure before it is cut. When it is known to be correctly composed, ameans must be afforded to carry thetracer over the design with evennessand precision to have the results satisfactory. I attain these objectsby producing channeled or grooved designs on transparent plates, which Iillustrate and show the mannor of using in the accompanying drawings. s

In the" drawings I show representatives of trated here to show thecompleteness of the advantages attained by the plan set forth. The onlything that is new is the channeled transparent plates. d

In the drawings, Figure l is a largetransparent plate upon which aletter of the largest font in this series is channeled. Fig.2 is amedium-size transparent plate upon which a letter of another design andsmaller has been channeled. Fig. 3 is a small transparent plate on whicha smaller letter of the same design of that on Fig. 2 has beenchanneled. Fig. ashows two of the plates shown by Fig. 2 placed inposition to show the first step in the use of these grooved transparentplates.

Fig. 5 is the same as Fig. 4, having another grooved transparent platecontaining a letter from the same font superimposed upon the other toshow the second step. Fig. 6 shows a cipher cut by this process enlargedseveral diameters. Fig. 7 shows about the average size of circle Withinwhich ciphers cut from patterns shown would be contained when out withthe ordinary machine.

By this system of grooved transparent pattern-letters machine ci pher-engravin g has for the first time arrived ata practical stage. In usethese plates are attached to a soft-Wood board by thumb-tacks, the boardbeing socured to the type-table of the machine.

To produce a cipherlike that shown in Fig. 6, the plates for P and S aretacked down, as shown in Fig. 4. Next the C is placed over these andadjusted so that the lines intermingle to suit. Then it is secured inplace by tacks, as shown in Fig. 5. Then the F (shown in Fig. 1) is laidand secured as the fancy dictates. Now with a pencil the position of Fis noted by marks on the board showing Where the margin comes. Then itis removed. The same is observed in regard to the O, and it is removed.Then the P and S are cut and removed, and the C is placed in its properplace, as shown by the marks made for it, and it is cut and removed. TheF is now laid by its marks and cut, when the cipher will be found to becomplete.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

Asanew article of manufacture the designpatterns for machinecipher-engraving, consisting of transparent celluloid or zylonitesheets, each sheet having a letter, a figure or a character grooved orchanneled on its surface; the grooves or channels being adapted toreceive the point of an engraving-machine tracer, by means of which thedesigns on different sheets are worked into a composite cipher.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALLAN E. FRANCIS.

Witnesses:

M. C. FRANCIS, JENNY L. FRANCIS.

